Arlington Lamar football player injured during 7-on-7 game released from hospital

An Arlington teen has reached a major milestone in his recovery from a brain injury that nearly killed him.

Brett Green, 15, said goodbye to Cook Children’s Hospital on Tuesday, nearly four weeks after he sustained a major brain injury in a 7-on-7 football game. He can’t wait to get back home.

“[I miss] cooking, my bed, just being in my home,” the Arlington Lamar H.S. student said. “It’s different than being here in this room. I'm still with my mom and the family comes to see me, but it’s not the same as being in my home environment."

When he first sustained the injury, doctors told his parents that Green might not make it through the night. But he’s made a miraculous recovery. He’s back to playing the piano and walking around the building, but can’t see well out of his left eye.

"[I’ve] been waiting for it to come back,” Green said. “It’s hard for me to do some things, like when I'm going to pick up something I might miss a little bit because of the eyesight."

Green’s mother, Tasha Jefferson, never doubted that her son would make it. She credits his attitude for his recovery.

“There's nothing he can't do,” Jefferson said. “He’s very strong willed. He's determined. I knew he'd be okay."

Still, Green’s departure was a bit bittersweet. He’s became close with the people who were around him at the hospital. He has nothing but gratitude for what they’ve done.

"When I came in here I was like ‘oh my God, no,’” Jefferson said. “But leaving out, it's like I don't want to leave them because they've been my support system."